


Back to the Drawing Board

by Rose_of_Pollux



Series: Inktober for Writers 2018: Hurt/Comfort edition [30]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-11 01:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16466189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: THRUSH’s new truth serum did not work as anyone expected…





	Back to the Drawing Board

It was times like these that Illya was grateful that he could convince Medical that Napoleon was better off recovering from this new THRUSH drug at home. This one in particular would have been very embarrassing for Medical staff to witness, and if Illya could preserve his partner’s dignity, then it was well worth putting up with the drug-induced blubberings that Napoleon was spouting out.

“It’s a truth serum gone horribly wrong,” Illya sighed, as he gently pat Napoleon on the back as he sobbed into his shoulder.

Napoleon was talking and confessing, alright—but to random things that had been on his conscience.

“I shouldn’t have taken the family car for a joyride when I was fifteen!”

“It’s alright, Napoleon…”

“ _I didn’t even have a license!_ ”

“I am sure the statute of limitations has long passed on that,” Illya said, calmly.

“It wasn’t just that; I did all sorts of dumb things when I was a kid—convinced Takeshi and the gang to play around the old well that everyone said was haunted…!”

“Youngsters always do foolish things, Napoleon,” Illya reassured him. “Don’t forget, my mother caught me playing cops and robbers in a tree—just before I fell out and bruised my coccyx… She addressed me as ‘Foolish Duckling’ for a solid week…”

“I borrowed your turtleneck without asking once!” Napoleon blurted out.

“I forgive you.”

Napoleon hugged him now, the drug causing him to be overemotional and overreacting.

“You’re too good to me!”

“I am,” Illya agreed. His expression softened. “But so are you. You’ve sat with me patiently whenever THRUSH drugged me and I got overemotional, so of course I will do the same for you.”

And he was true to his word. It was after a few more hours that the drug wore off and, embarrassed, Napoleon pulled himself together. And Illya did what Napoleon always did whenever the situation was reversed—acted as though it had been nothing, never brought it up again, and omitted it from the mission report.

It was an unspoken guarantee between the two of them, and just another one of the many factors that made their partnership work so well.


End file.
